Regrets
by Katieghost
Summary: (Continued from an old story.) It was supposed to be over. She wasn't supposed to love him anymore, let alone remember him. He wasn't, either, even though he did remember. So why was he here right now, crying out his sorrows? Crying out for her...?


**This is it. For those of you who read my profile, this is the fic I was talking about. For those of you who have no idea of what I'm talking about, let me explain.**

**This is a story I have been writing for quite some time (maybe a few months). The reason it's so important to me it's because I haven't been this inspired to write something since I don't know when. And since that was the case, I wanted this story to be perfect. But there was a problem with that. My inspiration was a story that wasn't finished (along with a song that was perfect for it), and what I wrote was my version of an ending/sequel to it. Since the story obviously belonged to someone else, I had a bit of an ethical issue by writing this in the first place. Of course, I asked the author for permission, she has even read this story already, but I can't still get that feeling that I'm stealing someone else's idea out of my head. :/**

**(Okay, I'll stop drowning in guilt now.)**

**The story's name is "Thinking Outside Of the Pumpkin" by Sagen Marie. Go check it out if you want; it's just one short chapter. If you don't.. well, I think my story can kind of stand alone, but you'll understand better if you read its "prequel" first. I made some slight changes to it, though. ^^" I wanted to make it a little more realistic. :)**

**I hope you enjoy it, and without further ado, I present you... "Regrets"!**

* * *

He had seen her today.

She was just walking around town, probably on an errand or something. But what had caught him off guard was her expression. She had seemed really down, and he knew it was because of what happened almost a week ago. Seeing her miserable state, something stirred within him, somehow.

Something he hadn't felt since he last told her he loved her.

Except this time, it was accompanied by a deep emptiness.

Their eyes met for a brief moment, and he gulped as the feeling became stronger, almost overwhelming him. Then, she sorrowfully broke the gaze and went on her way, but the feeling didn't go away.

It didn't go away as he numbly kept walking. Nor did it go away as he entered the graveyard. When he looked up at Spiral Hill, he felt a painful lurch in his phantom heart, and the feeling increased tenfold.

He hadn't come here in _two_ long years. (It was **their **place_._) But today he just couldn't fight the urge to come.

His tiny feet led him to the top of the steep hill, and he was unwilling to stop them. Sitting down on the dirt-covered ground, away from anyone who might bother him, he let the feeling overtake him, allowing the hurt that came with it wash over him as well.

Then, the memories of their time together inevitably started replaying through his mind.

He saw her on this same hill, smiling at him lovingly yet shyly after their first kiss; he saw them snuggled in the couch in a chilly night, cups of hot cocoa on both of their hands, a spring of mistletoe above them; he saw her deliriously happy grin every time he said those three words, which she would immediately utter back, overwhelmed; he saw them stealing kisses on one rainy afternoon, both giggling happily; he saw them taking a walk in the pumpkin patch, talking about anything and everything; he recalled the heavenly feel of her hand every time she would take his and how good it would feel enveloped by his own...

Such a long time together, yet it seemed so little now that he didn't have her.

One after the other, the memories just kept flowing through, showing no intention of stopping any time soon. And with each one, the feeling kept growing, as did the pain. It was worse than it had ever been whenever he thought about her. His non-existent heart wrenched painfully one more time, and, with a choked sob, he finally let the tears pour down his pale face, unable to stop them anymore.

**Why** was this hurting him _so_ _much_? Why _now_? An entire year had gone by since he had (mistakenly) thought he was over her, since he had resolved that he didn't love her anymore, and yet now his heart had decided he still had feelings for her?

Yet, if he thought about it, he would have noticed that the feeling had resurfaced when he saw her on his doorstep that day. Her beauty had caught him off-guard for a moment there, since it had been so long since he last saw her, but he managed to compose himself, shaking the long-lost feelings off. (For a wild moment, his deluded heart had skipped a beat when she blushed and looked at him _like that_ again, believing foolishly everything was back to normal, but then her look changed and the memory was gone.) But he hadn't thought about it, because it had been so subtle then that he had paid it no mind.

He hadn't felt bad about what he had done, because he had thought she was better off without him since then; and he had _believed_ that wholeheartedly, because on the days, weeks even, after that, she was smiling all the time, strutting happily around town. Unbeknownst to him, her happiness was due to her new-found freedom and ability to be outside for as long as she pleased, since she _had_ moved out of the doctor's lab. (Although she didn't really know the reason why the doctor set her free at last, she didn't question it.) Something inside him broke every time he saw she was that happy and it wasn't because of him, but he reminded himself it was for the best and Sally really seemed to be doing better without him.

But that was until _that moment_ when the smile was wiped off her face after their talk. He had felt guilty of being the cause of that, and his first instinct was to try to comfort her somehow. He didn't know how he kept himself collected as they bid their farewells, but he did, all the while having also to resist kissing her goodbye when he saw that she was still sad.

That's when he realized he was a fool for ever letting her go, but that he couldn't do anything about it now.

From then on, the feeling just kept getting stronger. One day, he just couldn't get her out of his mind, that smile of hers dancing around his every thought. And then he began wondering why...something he hadn't bothered to do until now. Maybe, he thought.. Maybe..the reason why he was experiencing this _now.._was because Sally had gotten back her memories, and she loved him again. And their love, strong as it was, had been rekindled on both of their hearts.

_But that couldn't be... Could it?_

He went to the witches that day, asking them if it could be possible that the potion might be failing.

With slightly confused and skeptical looks, they whispered among each other a bit before replying. Heaven knew what they were thinking after both him _and_ Sally had come to ask them about the potion.

"It can, Jack, but only if a stronger force is interfering with its work," said the little witch, Zeldaborn, with a sympathetic smile.

Her sister just nodded gravely.

Seeing their looks, he feared asking the question he needed to ask.

But he might never know if he didn't.

"And... Which stronger force..do you think is prying here?" he hesitantly asked, looking at anywhere but them.

Helgamine sighed despondently, her voice taking a patronizing tone.

"Love, Jack. It's the _only_ force that's stronger than magic."

He gulped at that. There was no denying it then.

But damn if he didn't spend the next days trying his hardest to do just that.

Yet when he saw her, with that miserable look on her beautiful pale face, all that denial vanished in a second and he _felt_ it again. All his love for her, as overwhelmingly deep as it had been the first time he realized he loved her. He couldn't face her at the moment, but now he was wishing he had.

He missed her.

Which was strange, because he hadn't felt this way in a long time. Oh, but he remembered when he had, almost all the time. At the beginning, shortly after giving her the potion, he _couldn't_ stop thinking about her, and anytime he was alone, thoughts about them together would drive him to cry endlessly. He had distanced himself from the town then, unable to face seeing her every day. Sometimes, he watched her from up his tower, even from there being able to see how happy she was without him.

Back then, he was willing to torture himself just to see her again.

Now he was avoiding her in fear she didn't want to see him, even though he wanted nothing in the world more than to see her and hold her close once more.

'_Oh, Sally..._' He sighed in melancholy, looking up at the sky.

He remained there, lost in his gloomy thoughts. He noticed the sun had begun to set, alerting him that it had been a couple of hours since he'd been there. But he still didn't move. He wasn't feeling like doing _anything_ now that he realized his existence was meaningless without his Sally.

Suddenly, a gentle, singing voice behind him interrupted his thoughts.

"_My dearest friend..._"

He got up with a soft gasp, turning around, to stare disbelievingly at Sally. His heart almost jumped in joy at the sight of her. Was she...? '_Does she...?_' A million questions were running through his mind. He couldn't believe it, but when she smiled at him, he just knew.

She remembered.

"_If you don't mind_," she shyly yet firmly continued, advancing slowly towards him.

"_I'd like to join you by your side..._"

He wanted to say something, to ask her why she remembered, since when did she know...maybe throw in an apology or two... Yet he felt unable to move or even tear his eyes away from her. He just watched her with wide eye sockets...wide, bashful and totally shy eye sockets...as she continued their little song.

"_Where we can gaze_.._into the stars..._"

She looked almost pleadingly at him, as if begging him to continue.

He didn't even think about it as he opened his mouth and sang with her, unable to help the slight break to his voice that was left from his earlier crying.

"_And sit together_,

_now and forever..._"

She was almost in front of him now. He could have cried, again. He wanted to hug her, to hold her close, ask her to forgive him for being a fool, an utter fool! He wanted to kiss her so badly right now...

But when she offered him her hand, he took her without hesitation, and looking into her glistening eyes, finished their song in a quivering whisper.

"_For it is plain, as anyone can see,_

_we're simply meant to be_."

He just watched her now, eye sockets half-lidded, wanting to savor this precious moment; the feel of her hands in his again, her loving gaze watching him, the quickening of his undead heartbeat when her smile became a little teasing, probably wondering why he was watching her so curiously. He couldn't help it, though; she was..simply intoxicating, and he was gradually becoming aware of it for a second time in his afterlife.

"_Sally..._" he managed to whisper, voice overcome with emotion.

She hushed him gently, placing a finger to his bony lips for good measure. He blanched a bit, but smiled, nevertheless; he loved it when she behaved like this.

Somehow, an entire conversation happened between them as they looked at each other. He gently took her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss, his gaze becoming earnest. She squeezed his hands softly, looking at him with a kind smile. They stayed silent for a while after that, just enjoying being with each other again.

All the while, he was wondering how could she be here, looking at him _like that _again, if she remembered what he had done. How in the world could she _possibly_ still want to love him, after what he had done, what he had said? And it had been such a long time apart too... Such a long time without her kisses, without feeling her... He barely felt worthy of being here now, holding her delicate hands...

But oh, when something in her smile became understanding and caring and she began to lean forward, he didn't care about that at all, just yearning to taste her beautiful lips again, to feel them on his own after _years_ without feeling them...

She kissed him slowly, tenderly, just as she used to do before when she wanted to comfort him, which was just what he needed now. (She knew him so well.) Their arms moved on their own accord to wrap around each other, while he reveled in the feel of her touch upon him again.

They broke the kiss after a moment, both basking in the feeling of regained love. She nuzzled him a bit with her cheek, and he found himself melting at the action, something that was so simple and yet it felt like heaven to him. He nuzzled back with a contented sigh, kissing her cheek in the process.

They remained there, being completely happy to be in each other's embrace once more.

Time went by, as it had a habit of doing. The sky got a little darker, and the moon went out, but the two lovers didn't pay much mind to that. They were together once more; what _really_ mattered now?

"Jack..." she whispered, releasing a happy sigh.

Her sweet voice saying his name made Jack open his eye sockets to look at her, only to noticed of how much time had gone by already, and that no mattered how long they would spend here, they would have to eventually part ways. And he didn't want that. The thought struck him so distinctly that he couldn't deny it if he tried. After all, two years was an awfully long time to be apart. He didn't want to part from her so soon.

But he couldn't stop her from leaving...could he?

...Yes, he could, he now realized.._if_ she agreed to it.

"Darling... Sally?" he gently asked to get her attention. She acknowledged him by giving a quiet hum, and he continued. "I've been thinking..." He hesitated, wondering if she'd be ready for something so sudden. He was aware it would be rash, but he wasn't thinking clearly at the moment, he only paying attention to what his heart was asking of him.

"Yes?" She now looked at him, a sweet smile spreading on her face.

Her smile gave him the courage he needed and he asked, this time without hesitation, "Will you come home with me tonight? And...stay...forever?" He all but trembled waiting for her response, as he was aware that this was a great step in any relationship. Not only that, but he knew that it was quite soon to be asking her that, since they had just gotten back together.

She was surprised, to say the least, but that didn't mean she didn't saw his reason for asking her this. And even though her logical mind was insisting that she think about it, that she told him not now or something like that, she ignored it and just smiled at him, uttering a single word.

"Yes."

She need not say more, as he, with a gasp and a joyful cry, swept her off her feet and twirled her in happiness, their laughter spreading through the graveyard. He kissed her in delight, holding her even closer when he realized that now she was his and his alone, forever.

That night he walked home with her with a new determination: this time, he wouldn't let Sally go.

After all, that almost sounded as he had proposed to her...

Now he just needed a ring.

* * *

**There you have it. That was the hype was all about. If you think it was worth it, please tell me so because I am incredibly nervous about how this story turned out. I still don't think it's good enough. (Except the ending. I _love_ the ending.) I tried to revise it as much as I could and checked for plot holes endlessly. Please tell me if I did good. Or alternatively, tell me if there was something wrong with the story or something you didn't like.**

**Oh, and just so you can have some clarity on some things: they were together for a year after the movie (I don't think I mentioned it, but now you know.) before Jack gave her the potion. After that, 2 years went by in which they were apart, "Thinking Outside Of the Pumpkin" happened, and then this. I hope that was helpful.**

**_Please_, review. Pretty please? :)**


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